Preview: Vikings vs Bears, Vitality Blast

Bears return to Vitality Blast action with two games on the road in 48 hours knowing they could secure a Quarter Final spot with four games to spare.

briggford

2024-07-04T14:59:06.000Z

Bears return to Vitality Blast action with two games on the road in 48 hours knowing they could secure a Quarter Final spot with four games to spare.

Four straight wins have rocketed Bears to the North Group summit and on the verge of qualification for the knock-out stages for the fourth season in a row.

Mark Robinson’s side travel to Headingley to face Yorkshire Vikings on Friday night (5 July) before a trip to Trent Bridge on Sunday (7 July) against Notts Outlaws.

Bears have been dealt a blow with the news that England T20 bowler Richard Gleeson’s side injury will rule him out for the remainder of the group stage.

Pakistan seam pair Hassan Ali (elbow) and Aamir Jamal (back) also remain on the sidelines.

However, New Zealand international quick Zak Foulkes – who signed for the Bears last week – is in line to make his debut for the Club at Headingley.

The 22-year-old, who played for the Blackcaps on their tour of Pakistan in April, is available for the remaining six games of the group stage.

Chris Woakes is no longer available following his selection by England for the upcoming Tests against the West Indies, while Michael Burgess drops out of the squad having picked up a minor injury during the County Championship game at Somerset.

But Danny Briggs – Bears leading Blast wicket-taker this summer with 13 scalps – is back in the squad after missing the trip to Taunton.

Robinson said: “Zak is a player Gavin Larsen (Bears Performance Director) knows well and he comes highly recommended. We’re excited to see what he can do as a bowling all-rounder having played recently in T20s for New Zealand.

“We’ve been dealt a harsh blow with Gleeson’s injury but we’re handling adversity that comes our way in the Blast and have played some good cricket. It’s put us top of the group and in a good position to qualify.

“We’ve got some tough games to come and as we know it’s a format where anyone can beat anyone. We know Yorkshire have dangerous players and we’ll have to be at our best.

Bears go into the game on the back of wins over local rivals Worcester Rapids at New Road by five wickets and before that a comprehensive 90-run win against Northants Steelbacks that saw Bears chalk up a season-high 219/4.

Bears defeated the Vikings at Edgbaston last month by four wickets thanks largely to Sam Hain’s unbeaten 51 and cavalier knocks by Dan Mousley (41, 29 balls) and Jacob Bethell (32, 15 balls).

Hain and Bethell are in the top eight Blast batters this season with 297 runs (49.50 ave) and 272 (54.40 ave) and lie fourth and third respectively in the competition batting averages.

Yorkshire have won four and lost four of their North group games, the latest a narrow three-run reverse at Durham on 21 June.

Squad

Alex Davies (C & WK)Ed BarnardChris BenjaminJacob BethellMichael BoothDanny BriggsZak FoulkesGeorge GartonSam HainJake LintottCraig MilesDan MousleyRob Yates

How to follow

Members and supporters can follow the match live in our Match Centre at edgbaston.com, which will include a free-to-watch Live Stream and a live text commentary. You can also see a ball-by-ball feed and watch highlights of all the action.

Supporters can get involved by sending their match-day comments and thoughts on Twitter via @WarwickshireCCC and we’ll publish the best ones on our live text commentary in the Match Centre.

Supporters can also watch the Live Stream and get instant push notifications of all wickets, innings and match results via the Edgbaston app, which is free to download on iOS and Android.

Match updates will also be available across the Club’s social media accounts, simply search for @WarwickshireCCC.